Derby has gone 9-1 against South recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The two teams, after both having extra time off, will shake off the rust and duke it out at 7:30 p.m. Derby has given up an average of 55 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Derby is headed into Friday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their third straight games last Friday. They were four points away from ending the streak, but they lost a 65-61 heartbreaker at the hands of Maize South. While losing is never fun, the Panthers can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Kansas basketball rankings (they are ranked 139th, while the Mavericks are ranked 31st).
Greg Stiger
| 12/19/25 @ Maize South | 40% |
| 12/16/25 vs Maize | 40% |
| 12/13/25 vs Staley | 40% |
| 12/12/25 @ Shawnee Mission Northwest | 50% |
Despite their loss, Derby saw several players rise to the challenge and make noteworthy plays. Greg Stiger, who shot 47% from the field to rack up 18 points and six boards, was perhaps the best of all. Stiger is also on a roll when it comes to three-point shooting accuracy, as he's posted one of at least 40% in the last four games he's played. Avant Riley was another key player, putting up 14 points and six assists.
Meanwhile, South came up short against Valley Center last Friday and fell 53-43. The game marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring matchup so far this season.
Derby will have to keep a close watch on Gavin Devoe and Sawyer Walker, a pair of players who had a big impact on South's prior game. Devoe dropped a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds, while Walker posted 11 points. With that strong performance, Devoe is now averaging an impressive 8.4 boards per game. The team also got some help courtesy of Jaxon Myers, who had six points and eight rebounds.
Derby's defeat dropped their record down to 2-4. As for South, their loss was their first of the season and makes their record 6-1.
Some high-performance offense is likely on the agenda as the two teams are some of the highest-scoring teams around. Derby hasn't had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 58.7 points per game. However, it's not like South struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 57.4 points. With both teams so easily able to put up points, the only question left is who can put up more.
Everything came up roses for Derby against South in their previous meeting back in February, as the squad secured a 66-34 victory. In that contest, the Panthers amassed a halftime lead of 36-15, an impressive feat they'll look to repeat on Friday.
